Part 3: The Protected

Chapter 2: The Protected



Welcome to the map screen. From here on out, we'll be traveling from place to place, and the map will be steadily filled in as we do so.



From the world map, we can organize our party's inventory and trade/use equipment between characters. Once we visit a level with a shop, we'll also be able to buy items from the world map. I'll try not to do that, since it feels a bit like cheating. FE6 let you buy items between chapters, but charged you double for them to balance it out. FE8 offers no such restriction.



Finally, we have the supply convoy. Characters are restricted to only five inventory spaces in this game, and if they pick up anything else, it'll have to go into storage. Fortunately, we've got 100 spaces for each weapon type and all of our miscellaneous items, so we'll likely never run out of room.

By the way, since Vanessa and Moulder have joined our group, let's examine them really quickly.



Vanessa is a Pegasus Knight, which means that she'll be very fast and mobile, but also very fragile. Our biggest concern is that constitution of hers. The basic iron lance weighs 8, and the steel lance weighs 13, so even the simplest of equipment is going to be slowing her down.



Fortunately, she came prepared, and wields a slim lance instead of an iron one. The slim lance is obviously less powerful, but is more accurate and adds 5 crit. Most importantly, it's light enough that she can carry it without penalty, which will help her out until she gets enough speed that the penalty isn't an issue.



Moulder, meanwhile, is a priest, and can't fight at all. IntSys didn't give staff users the ability to fight back with their staves until FE10, so he'll be helpless in an actual battle. That said, he's a healer, and shouldn't be getting in fights in the first place.



Well, enough putting it off. Let's continue with the story.



However, he does provide Eirika with a small but trusted party of vassals.

Eirika is grateful for the king's aid. Chasing rumors of her brother, she sets out for Grado.

The group's first stop is the remote village of Ide, which was, until very recently, a part of Renais. Here, Eirika sees the devastation of Renais with her own eyes.





: We'll travel south of Renais and pass through Serafew into Grado territory.

: Hmm... That would seem a sensible plan. Assuming, of course, that we can avoid any run-ins with Grado soldiers...

: Princess Eirika, may I have your leave to scout ahead? From the sky, I'll have a better chance of spotting any nearby troops.

: We're yours to command, Your Highness. Will you give your permission?

: Yes, of course. Keep an eye out for enemy bowmen though, Vanessa.

: Yes, Your Highness, I shall. I shall prove myself worthy of the honor of your trust.

Jeez, Vanessa. Care to kiss her feet while you're at it?

: She seems very...sincere.

: Sincere...Yes, quite.



Scouting ahead, Vanessa spies a group of bandits. I was wondering when we'd run into those.



This is Bone, our witless brigand of the day, and this is his boss, Bazba.



: With all those soldiers preoccupied, we're free to pillage as we please! Right, Bone--you're in charge. Grab everything that's not nailed down and bring it to the hideout.

: I'm on it.

Meanwhile, in a nearby village...



: Hmmm... I'm getting you out of here, Ross. You stay close to me!

(Screen goes back to the Ide map)



: Cut down anyone fool enough to get in your way. I'm heading west around the mountains to the other villages.



This isn't just a plot thing, by the way. Brigands can and will destroy any villages they come across. Usually, when that happens, whatever was in the village will be lost forever, but since we're in a cutscene...



: Ross? What is it? What's wrong?

: It's nothing! It's just a scratch! You're a warrior, Dad, and I am your son. I won't be beaten so easily.

: Don't risk yourself so foolishly... We need to get you some help.

: Please! Someone help my son!



: Ah! This looks serious. I must report back to Princess Eirika at once.



: Bandits?!

: We have arrived at our first dilemma. We must move quickly and attract as little attention as possible, but...

: But I cannot stand by and watch innocents be harmed. Vanessa, how fare the villagers?

: I spotted one injured person. He appeared to be just a child.

: Father Moulder, can your staff help him?

: Well, yes, I can heal his injuries with my staff, but... I cannot do it from here. He's too far away. I must be near him.

: Princess, please leave this to me. I shall bring the boy here.

: All right, Vanessa. It's up to you.

: Very well. I'm off.



And we begin. The objective of this map is to Rout the enemy, so we'll have to kill everyone. Not too difficult, really. The only trouble will be keeping the young Ross alive.

Another thing: maps from here on out are going to get longer and a lot more drawn out, so instead of showing every single action, I'll just be going over the highlights.



Most of the enemies are concentrated here, at the bottom of the map. Notice all the bandits up on mountains. Being able to cross mountains is something that only fliers, like Vanessa, and brigands can do, plus some enemies we'll be seeing down the line, but let's not jump the gun here.

Let's talk about movement costs for a second though. The amount of Move a character has is, obviously, how far they can go, but not all terrain requires only 1 movement point to go through. Forests cost 2, and mountains cost 4, for instance. That means that these brigands, until they can get off the mountain, will be crawling along at a glacial pace of one space a turn, since they only have 5 move, and can therefore only afford to pass one mountain tile.

Flying units, meanwhile, are not bound by terrain, and can go anywhere at a cost of 1 Move per tile. As a tradeoff, however, they don't get any of the benefits of the terrain either. These mountain tiles which grant 2 defense and 40 avoid to the brigands will give Vanessa absolute jack, so that's something to think about if we want to engage the bandits on their own turf.



Bone is your typical brigand. He's strong, but not much else. Getting rid of him should be no problem.



Take a look at this guy's inventory. Notice the green text by his vulnerary? That means that we'll grab it when he dies. This might not be relevant for now, but when an enemy is flagged to have a droppable item, it's always the one at the bottom of their list. Therefore, if they were to grab something else for whatever reason, that item they grabbed would suddenly be the droppable one. But what are the odds of that happening?

Anyway, let's move on to our new future party members.



Garcia, Ross's dad, has some issues with accuracy. Axes are low on that as it is, and his skill isn't the greatest, so landing hits might be hard. Still, axe users are in short supply this early in the game, unless you want to go with his son. Speaking of which:



Don't be fooled by his stats. Ross is actually better than he looks, since he's a Trainee. Added to this game only, so far as I can tell, a Trainee is actually a Tier 0 class that promotes into a regular class when it hits level 10. That gives a lot of room for growth, but also makes him a little hard to train, since his starting stats are so low.



Priority one is getting Ross out of danger. You might have noticed from his character page, but he is actually hurt. If we just leave him alone, he's likely to die this turn, and we don't want that.

Notice, by the way, that he and Garcia are colored green instead of blue. That means that they're allied with us, but under AI control. They won't attack us (except for one sneaky occasion in Fire Emblem 5), but they will do silly things that endanger their lives, so we'll want to recruit them to our side ASAP.



Nothing else to do this turn but visit the two nearby villages. Red houses or villages usually have cool things for the group if we can get there before a brigand burns them down. Meanwhile, brown houses only have tidbits of information, and brigands hate learning, so we won't have to worry about those. We saw a couple of the latter in the previous chapter, but they were mostly just tutorial information. Anyway, once we visit the red villages, they'll close the gates and be safe from harm.



: He was dressed like a mercenary, but he had an air of elegance about him... He gave me this elixir. I'm sure it will help you on the battlefield. (got Elixir)

Elixirs are full heals, but still have 3 uses. Naturally, this makes them a lot more valuable than vulneraries, which is why I probably won't use them until near the end of the game. Heck, I'm such a hoarder that I didn't even end up using the stat boosters (yes, there will be stat boosters) at all in my first runs through the game.

That last village was kind of generic, but if we send Eirika to the other one...



: If we can't find some way to protect ourselves, the village is doomed.

: Perhaps...

: People, listen to me! You must close the village gates immediately. Hurry, before the bandits arrive!

: Who are you? You aren't from one of the neighboring towns, are you. And your weapons give you away... You're no peasant.

: I am Er... My name is Erina. I'm a mercenary.

: A mercenary named Erina, is it? There's more to you than that, I feel. But don't worry--it's none of my affair. I haven't told you who I am yet, have I? I am Selena, a general in Grado's army.

: Ah!

: Is something wrong?

: No...uh, nothing.

: It looks like these villagers have some bandit troubles. I would like to help, but I have orders... I'm to leave for the capital immediately, and I cannot stay. You're armed, and you claim to be a mercenary. Will you help them?

: Um...

: Is there a problem?

: No! Of course I'll help them! It's just...You're one of Grados' generals...Why...

: These aren't soldiers. They're people. Should they suffer because their leaders fight? I've petitioned your aid. Take this as payment.

: ...

(Got a Red Gem)

Gems of assorted colors are vendor trash, plain and simple. Their only purpose is to be sold for large amounts of money. Red ones are the most basic, selling for 2500 gold.



Don't worry about Garcia, by the way. The guy's a poor shot, but he can take hits from a measly brigand until there's no tomorrow. We've got plenty of time to save him.



Doubly so since he's got a hand axe, a throwing axe with weak accuracy and average power. He's not likely to hit with it, but at least the brigand won't be able to hit him back, since he's out of range for a melee attack.



Still, we ought to get to him eventually. To that end, let's have Eirika chat with his son.

: Hey, listen! My village is being attacked by bandits. My name's Ross. Come on! You have to help me wipe those thugs out!

: All right, just... Just take a deep breath and calm down, Ross. Leave the villages to us. We'll drive off the bandits. Seth, take the boy somewhere safe.

: No! Wait! I'm going to fight, too!

: But...

: My father is out there all alone, fighting those bandits. I've got to get back to him as quickly as possible! I'm the son of the great Garcia! As long as I have my axe, no bandit will ever defeat me!

: All right, I can see you're not going to be swayed... But you must promise that you will stay close to us.



Let's talk about healers. They're necessary, but they're also a pain to level, since they can't fight. Instead, they're dependent on the pitiful experience they gain from practicing their craft. For example, using a heal staff gives us 10 or 11 experience. Out of 100 per level. Meanwhile, killing a dude usually gives around 50, if he's close to the same level. This is why I'll be having Moulder descend upon people with even the tiniest paper cuts, because he needs whatever experience he can get.



Now, you may have noticed the tower-looking thing on the map. That's an Armory, a store we can visit for weapons.



Check out those prices. Combined with the 2500 from the red gem, we've got 7500 we can use to scoop up as many iron weapons as we need, since any weapons a character can't carry will go automatically to the convoy.



On the enemy phase, Franz dances his way into another level.



You're on a short leash, son.



A very special aspect of Trainee classes is their accelerated experience gains. Just nicking this brigand gave Ross a third of a level. If we feed him some kills, he'll be gaining practically a level apiece, which will definitely alleviate the pain of dragging his sorry carcass around.



By the way, those of you familiar with FE6 and FE7 might have noticed that there is no balding old guy in a cart to carry around our excess gear for us. That's because Eirika's the one handling that instead. If anyone's standing next to her, they can access the convoy immediately, so no escorting a defenseless merchant through the enemy lines.



Hefting all those iron lances is apparently good for her physique, since she gets almost a perfect level from finishing the bandit.



Nothing left to do on this map except visit the last village on the bottom of the map and reunite Ross with his father. Garcia will join us whether his son recruits him or not, but allied units don't gain experience, so he'll be wasting his effort flailing at the guys over there if we don't get him to go blue.

We have to be careful about how we approach this though, since there is an archer over there. This was partially hinted at in the intro, but flying units take effective damage from arrows. Vanessa's not the sturdiest of sorts to begin with, so taking triple damage from a bow will just flat-out kill her at this point.

Oh, and you may have noticed, but a couple brigands suddenly appeared behind the bottom village. However, since they can't go in through the top, there's no danger. Certainly not to us either.



No point in just leaving it open though.

: Hm? What is it? What's all the ruckus? What? B-bandits?! Spread the word, everyone! Close the village gates! Thank you for your warning. Please, accept this small token.

(Got a Pure Water)

Pure Water's used for the purposes of fighting magic, which does us absolutely no good here. I'll go over it when it's relevant.



Dropping Ross on a forest space does wonders for him not dying, and he can go talk to his father next turn.



: Ross?! Boy, what did I tell you!? What are you doing here? Don't worry about me. Hurry up and get yourself to safety!

: Did you really think I could just run away while you fight, Dad? You taught me that fighters fight for what's important to them! There's no way I'm leaving! I'm fighting just like you!

: Ross... All right, listen to me. We'll cut our way out of here together!



And now we've got our own head-splitter. Fantastic.



The group to the west is facing quite a few bandits at this point, so I throw Seth at the boss.

: Wait a minute! Wh-who are you?



: Urgh...Blast...

It ends predictably. Don't worry about wasted experience. Bosses grant a very generous amount, regardless of what their level is, just because they're bosses.



And with a very decent level for Eirika, we mop up the remainder.



: It's not necessary...

: ...Hold on a moment, aren't you the great Garcia? You fought for Renais, didn't you?

: ...

: Seth, do you know this man?

: He was a troop commander for Renais until around ten years ago. When I was a recruit, the soldiers used to tell so many tales about him. They called him a daring and fearless fighter for Renais. Master Garcia, you must know the peril our homeland faces right now... Can we impose upon you to lend your strength to Renais once again?

: ...I'm sorry. I'm retired now. I'm not a soldier anymore. It's... a decision I made long ago.

: Master Garcia...

: ...When I was a soldier, I lived my life fighting for my country's honor. I left no time for my family. I spent my life fighting for faceless, uncaring nobles. When my wife fell ill and died, I met the child she had left behind... At that moment, I finally realized what my duty had cost me.

: ...

: I stood at my wife's grave and promised her I would be a father to our son. I'm done with armies. I'm done with fighting, except to protect my son. I've no regrets. I'm the boy's father.

: ...



: Father, what's all this nonsense I'm hearing?

: Ross!

: If you're not going, then I will! I'm a fighter! I know I can do this!

: Ross, what are you saying? I...

: Dad, please! Listen to me! I respect you more than any other man in the world. I know you gave up being a soldier for me. I know that! But how can you throw away such a big part of yourself? You're a warrior at heart! You can't give that up and be happy!

: ...

: Look at me, Dad! Have you seen me fight? I'm not a child anymore. I'm a warrior, like you. You’re free to worry, but I can survive on my own!

: ...Ross.

: You want to challenge me, Father? I'm a fighter! The best in all of Ide! I'm not gonna lose to you! I'm not gonna lose to anyone!

: ...You're right. You're a good soldier, Ross.


: Sir Seth... If these old bones of mine can still serve, I'd like to join you.

: Dad...

: Looks like my boy grew up while I wasn't looking... He's tougher than I thought. He doesn’t need my help. I've raised him as best I could, but he's right. I've nothing to fear. I should fight. I will fight.

: Dad!

I like Ross and Garcia's interactions with one another. The father-son dynamic is something you see in a lot of places, but usually, the father figure is stubborn for no real adequate reason other than apparently being a jerk to his son. Here, Garcia is stubborn because he's concerned, and Ross convinces him by proving that he doesn't need to be sheltered.

And in a chapter or two, that will, most likely be true.



: We would if we could, but we have much to do and far to travel. Your safety is reward enough.

: Ah, well...

: My, that is a splendid bracelet you're wearing.

: Thank you. My father gave this to me.

: It's a wonderful gift. But you should be careful, wearing such a valuable item so openly. Since Renais was invaded, things have become so dangerous around here. There are gold-hungry thieves and bandits everywhere. The most wicked are Bazba's Bandits. They are...cruel beyond words. If you have something they want, your life is worth less than nothing. Just the other day they assaulted some travelers and...Oh, it was awful.

Well, I hope we never have to encounter those people. Best to avoid them at all costs.

: I...I can't believe such things...

: Oh, Renais is finished, mark my words. The Grado Empire's stolen our future. Our only hope against them was that Prince Ephraim would prevail, but... Rumor has it that he's on the verge of being crushed by Grado's vast numbers. These are dark days. Travel with care.

: ...

Later...



Three years ago, last Sunday AD...



Back during the Civil War, cameras could only print in a kind of sickly yellow. Naturally, that kind of filter, if they're not using black and white instead, has become shorthand for flashbacks in movies and TV shows. Get used to flashbacks, by the way. This game loves them as a narrative device.

: Yes, Ephraim. Let's begin.

: Tell me, though:
why do you want me to teach you to fight? I thought you didn't care for violence...

: I do not like uncivilized behavior. I think one can solve one's problems without fighting. And yet...

: And yet what?

: I've always relied on you to protect me, Brother. I would rather not be such a burden to you in the future. So, I thought maybe I should learn to protect myself...

: I'm your brother. Brothers are supposed to protect their sisters. It's nothing for you to worry about. It's no cause for concern.

: Yes, but... I am your sister. Sisters are supposed to worry about their brothers. So I would like to learn something of swordplay, if only a little. And maybe, someday, I can protect you in your time of need... So please, Ephraim.

: All right, all right. How could I say no? Honestly, once you get an idea into your head, that's it. I might as well give in. It's agreed. I'll teach you, but won't hold back because you're my sister. And I want no complaining once we've started, Eirika.

: Complain? Me? Never!



: Hey!

Remember kids, don't flashback at a busy intersection.



: Y-yes... Someone bumped into me is all. I was jarred.

: Hm? Your Highness, where is your bracelet?

: My bracelet? It's...gone. Where could it be? Did that man--

: I'll find him!

: Don't worry about it, Seth. That bracelet was a gift from my father, but Ephraim needs our help. I can’t let sentimentality get in the way of my duty.

: No, Princess... We must retrieve your bracelet regardless of cost. You cannot lose it. Let's go. We must hurry.

How mysterious! Why is that bracelet such a valuable thing? I guess we'll find out...

Next Time: We get to know one another a little better in Chapter 3: The Bandits of Borgo.

Extras:



Vanessa
Class: Pegasus Knight
Weapon Ranks: D in lances
Affinity: Anima

HP: 17 (50%) Lck: 4 (50%)
Str: 5 (35%) Def: 6 (20%)
Skl: 7 (55%) Res: 5 (30%)
Spd: 11 (60%) Con: 5

Vanessa didn't get much of a chance to show off more than her flying talents, since that map was axes and arrows aplenty, but she's actually a very solid unit. Barring some huge stroke of misfortune, she'll be able to use her starting stats to catapult herself into a strong party position, especially once she's promoted and the weight of weapons becomes a non-issue entirely.



Moulder
Class: Priest
Weapon Ranks: C in staves
Affinity: Anima

HP: 20 (70%) Lck: 1 (20%)
Mag: 4 (40%) Def: 2 (25%)
Skl: 6 (50%) Res: 5 (25%)
Spd: 9 (40%) Con: 9

Moulder is very interesting as a healer, since he's likely to gain a lot of physical stats that won't benefit him much in his starting role. His stats seem geared more towards his promotion class, since that constitution allows him to heft a large number of tomes, even some of the higher-level ones, without taking a speed penalty at all. With some magic and speed growths, which he's likely to get, he can become a very effective caster.



Garcia
Class: Fighter
Weapon Ranks: C in axes
Affinity: Fire

HP: 28 (80%) Lck: 3 (40%)
Str: 8 (65%) Def: 5 (25%)
Skl: 7 (40%) Res: 1 (15%)
Spd: 7 (20%) Con: 14

Garcia's a strong guy, and he only gets stronger, but that lack of speed is going to hurt him in the long run. He's got enough constitution that he can equip the tougher axes while losing little speed at all, but he's still going to have to get something if he wants to remain competitive with his own son. Speaking of which...



Ross
Class: Journeyman
Weapon Ranks: E in axes
Affinity: Fire

HP: 15 (70%) Lck: 8 (40%)
Str: 8 (50%) Def: 3 (25%)
Skl: 2 (35%) Res: 0 (20%)
Spd: 3 (30%) Con: 8

Ross might not be as strong as his dad yet, but give him time, and he'll be surpassing his dad easily. This is doubly true when you consider that he's got two promotions, both with bonus stats, in addition to his regular levels. The premise of a Trainee class is that they require more of an investment to build up, but pay off huge dividends when you do so, and for the most part, that's true. Will Ross be up to task? We'll have to wait and see.

Bonus Conversation:

If you visit the northwestern village with anyone other than Eirika, Selena has something else to say.

: And who are you? You don't look like one of the local peasantry. As you can see, the villagers have some bandit troubles. I would like to help, but I have orders to follow... I am required to quit this area at once. I would ask you to aid them in this fight. I will pay you for your trouble, of course.

We still get a red gem, but we don't get to watch Eirika put on the most paper-thin disguise, nor do we learn Selena's name until later. We'll see more of the mysterious general of Grado later, though.